JP3622224B2 - Light source structure of signal indicator lamp - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention is installed in automatic machines, robots, production lines, parking lots, dangerous places, etc., for example, signal indicator lamps for notifying various states such as lack of materials, work jams, full cars, dangers, etc. This relates to the light source structure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
This type of signal indicator light is used to notify the signal by emitting light of each color as signal light, thereby maintaining the safety of production line workers, etc., and also used for maintenance of automatic machinery etc. To be installed.
FIG. 8 shows an example in which an LED is used in a conventional signal indicator lamp. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-93392) In this example, a plurality of LEDs 71c are connected to form a rod-shaped light source 71, and the rod-shaped light source 71 is arranged in a circumferential shape to constitute the display unit 7. The display unit 7 is placed on the mount 73 and the periphery is covered with a filter case 72. The LED lighting drive is performed by the built-in drive circuit 74. In the example of this figure, 96 LEDs are arranged toward the periphery, and signal light is emitted to the periphery.
With this configuration, the light generated from the LED 71c passes through the filter case 72 and is emitted to the surroundings. When this signal indicator is viewed from any surrounding direction, the LEDs 71c of one or more rod-shaped light sources 81 are visually recognized as dots from any direction.
[0003]
FIG. 9 shows an example in which a signal indicator lamp is configured by not reflecting LED light directly to the surroundings but reflecting the LED light in the circumferential direction using a reflector. (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-108806) As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of LEDs 81 are erected in a circular shape so as to face each other up and down, and the reflecting surfaces 82 and 82 bulging near the center of the hollow cylindrical column are vertically The signal indicator lamp is configured by facing the LED and covering the periphery with a globe 83 having a diffusive lens. With this configuration, the light generated from the LED 81 is reflected in the circumferential direction by the reflecting surface 82, passes through the globe 83, and is emitted to the surroundings. When the signal indicator lamp is viewed from any surrounding direction, a substantially planar light source corresponding to the reflecting surfaces 82 and 82 is visually recognized from any direction.
[0004]
As other similar examples, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-124519 having a configuration in which a wiring board in which a large number of LEDs are implanted is arranged in a layered structure, a configuration in which a wiring board in which a large number of LEDs are implanted is combined in a polygonal column shape Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-6675 is known.
[0005]
However, in the light source structures of these conventional signal indicator lamps, LED light is emitted directly to the surroundings or simply reflected and emitted. Therefore, in order to make many LEDs visible, it is necessary to use many LEDs as shown in FIG. However, in this configuration, the light source is visually recognized as dots, and the appearance is not good.
Further, in the configuration of FIG. 9, the LED light is diffused with the globe to make the light source look in a horizontally long and substantially visible state and the visibility is improved, but the LED light is reflected and emitted in terms of visibility. There was no difference due to the difference in the structure that directly emitted light.
[0006]
Moreover, the signal indicator lamp which employ | adopted the said LED has little power consumption, and the maintenance accompanying the disconnection by a vibration or a light bulb break is unnecessary like an incandescent light bulb. However, due to insufficient brightness of the LED itself, it cannot be put into practical use unless a large number of LEDs are used. Therefore, as the number of LEDs increases, there is a problem of increased power consumption and heat generation. There was a problem that the indicator lamp was expensive.
[0007]
For this problem, there is an invention according to the applicant's patent application No. 353877. The present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This signal indicator lamp includes an LED 110 as a light source in the case 130, a reflection member 120 that reflects and emits LED light, a control board 142, and the like, and a diffusion filter 151 that diffuses signal light is fitted into the opening on the front surface of the case. It is composed of
[0008]
The reflecting member 120 includes a plurality of reflecting surfaces 121, 122, 123, and 124 that reflect the signal light 111, 112, 113, and 114 to the front surface of the signal indicator lamp, an LED holding portion 125, and locking portions 126, 127, and 128. And a locking portion made up of the locking holes 131, 132, 133 are integrally formed. These reflecting surfaces include a first reflecting surface 121 that reflects the signal light 111, a second reflecting surface 122 that reflects the signal light 112, a third reflecting surface 123 that reflects the signal light 113, and the signal light 114. Is a fourth reflecting surface 124 that reflects the light and is a smooth surface. The reflection angle is determined so as to reflect the signal light to the front surface of the signal indicator lamp. A power supply line 143 to the signal indicator lamp is wired to the control board 142. A control circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like are included in the control board 142, and a circuit to the LED 110 is included in the LED board 141.
[0009]
With the above configuration, the LED light is emitted in a predetermined direction that is desired to be visually recognized as signal light such as red, yellow, orange, green, and blue for display of various status indications such as a machine failure.
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0010]
However, in this prior art, since the signal light is emitted only in the lateral direction of the signal indicator lamp, there is a disadvantage that the visibility is poor when the signal indicator lamp is mounted above or below the human eye. . In particular, automatic machines, robots, and the like are often large-sized, and when a signal indicator lamp is mounted at a high position, it has been desired to emit light obliquely downward.
[0011]
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above technical problem, and use a small number of LEDs as a light source, and when the signal indicator lamp is mounted above or below the human eye, the visibility is good. A light source structure for obtaining a signal indicator lamp is provided.
[0012]
[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems]
The light source structure of the signal indicator lamp according to claim 1 for achieving the above object includes an LED and a reflecting member, and the reflecting member is appropriately separated to reflect the LED light in a predetermined light projecting direction. A light source structure of a signal indicator lamp configured to project signal light through a diffusion filter that includes a plurality of reflective surfaces arranged and covers a predetermined light projecting direction and diffuses light laterally;
The reflecting surface is composed of a side reflecting surface and an oblique reflecting surface formed by bending the reflecting surface at a predetermined angle , and is disposed within the effective emission angle of the LED. The light is emitted in the lateral direction as the same number of strip light sources as the reflecting surfaces .
[0013]
According to said structure, the reflected light emission of the LED light of the same number as a reflective surface can be visually recognized from a predetermined light projection direction and a predetermined light projection diagonally downward direction.
[0014]
The light source structure of the signal indicator lamp according to claim 2 is characterized in that a plurality of the LEDs are arranged in a straight line, and a plurality of reflecting surfaces are formed in a step shape.
[0015]
With this configuration, the reflected and emitted light of the same number of LED lights as the number of reflecting surfaces can be visually recognized in a band shape from a predetermined light projecting direction and a predetermined light projecting obliquely downward direction.
[0016]
Next, the light source structure of a signal indicating light according to claim 3, wherein the plurality arranging the LED circumferentially, to form a plurality of reflecting surfaces in stepped and circular, covered them around the It is characterized by projecting signal light through a diffusion filter.
The light source structure of a signal indicating light according to claim 4, wherein the plurality arranging the LED polygonal, to form a plurality of reflecting surfaces in a stepwise manner and polygonal through these surrounding covered the diffusion filter It is characterized by projecting signal light.
[0017]
With these configurations, the reflected and emitted light of the same number of LED lights as the number of reflecting surfaces can be visually recognized in a band shape from the periphery and obliquely downward.
[0018]
【Example】
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the light source structure of the signal indicator lamp of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view. This signal indicator lamp has a plurality of LEDs 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,... As a light source in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped case 3 that opens forward, a reflective member 2 that reflects and emits LED light, a control board 42, and the like. And a diffusion filter 5 for diffusing signal light is fitted into the opening on the front surface of the case.
[0019]
The reflecting member 2 is a member for reflecting LED light in a predetermined light projecting direction. As the reflecting member, an injection molded product, a metal plate such as aluminum, or the like is used, and it is usual to perform vapor deposition treatment of aluminum or the like in order to improve reflection efficiency. The reflecting member 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of oblique reflecting surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a that reflect the signal lights 11a, 12a, and 13a in the signal display lamp obliquely downward direction, and the signal light 11b in the signal display lamp lateral direction. A plurality of side reflecting surfaces 21b, 22b, and 23b portions that reflect 12b and 13b, an LED holding portion 25, and a locking portion to the case 3 are integrally formed, and the above-described vapor deposition treatment is performed on the surface. These reflecting surfaces reflect the first reflecting surfaces 21a and 21b that reflect the signal lights 11a and 11b, the second reflecting surfaces 22a and 22b that reflect the signal lights 12a and 12b, and the first reflecting surfaces that reflect the signal lights 13a and 13b. Three reflecting surfaces 23a and 23b, each reflecting surface being a smooth surface.
[0020]
The oblique reflection surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a are formed by bending the side reflection surfaces 21b, 22b, and 23b downward by a predetermined angle. The reflection surface angles of the oblique reflection surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a are determined so as to reflect the signal light obliquely downward in front of the signal indicator lamp, and the reflection surface angles of the side reflection surfaces 21b, 22b, and 23b It is determined to reflect the signal light in the lateral direction of the front of the indicator lamp. In FIG. 1, the angle of reflection of the signal light by the oblique reflection surface is approximately 40 ° obliquely below the horizontal plane. In general, the angle is appropriately determined within a range of 10 ° to 80 ° obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane in accordance with the height of the signal indicator mounting position and the position of the operator. The plurality of reflecting surfaces are arranged in a stepped manner within the effective radiation angle 15 of the LED 1 while being appropriately separated and sequentially changed in angle. Although the effective radiation angle varies depending on the LED, in the case of a wide viewing angle LED, an LED of about 20 to 40 degrees is generally supplied.
[0021]
Each of the reflecting surfaces may be a parabolic surface. However, when the reflecting surfaces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23a, and 23b are configured as parabolic surfaces, visibility is not obtained at angles other than a predetermined light projecting direction. Is significantly inferior. When the reflecting surface is formed of a smooth surface, the reflected projection from each stage of the reflecting surface can be seen even if it is slightly shifted up and down from the predetermined projection direction. In a normal signal display lamp other than the application in which the light projection range is limited, it is desirable that the reflecting surface is a smooth surface as in this embodiment.
[0022]
Locking holes 31, 32 and 33 for locking the reflecting member 2 are provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the case 3. The locking portion 27 on the upper edge of the reflecting member 2 is held in the upper surface locking hole 31 of the case 3, and the locking portion 26 on the lower edge of the reflecting member 2 is held in the lower surface locking hole 32 of the case 3. The locking portion 28 at the lower portion of the portion 25 is fitted and held in the lower surface locking hole 33 of the case 3. In order to set the reflecting member 2 in the case 3, the reflecting member 2 may be bent and inserted into the case, and each locking portion may be fitted in a predetermined locking hole.
[0023]
A power supply line to the signal indicator lamp is wired to the control board 42. A control circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like are included in the control board 42, and a circuit for a plurality of LEDs 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,.
[0024]
With the above configuration, LED light is emitted in a predetermined lateral direction that is desired to be visually recognized as signal light such as red, yellow, orange, green, and blue for display of various status indications such as a machine failure, and obliquely downward. It is also emitted in the direction. The coloring of the signal light may be based on the LED light, the colored diffusion filter, or a combination of both, and is selected according to the usage situation.
[0025]
In FIG. 1, a diffusion filter 5 is a lens-shaped transparent body or translucent body for diffusing signal light. The diffusion filter 5 is provided with a number of longitudinal diffusion ribs 51 on the inner surface side to diffuse the signal light in the lateral direction. At this time, the signal light is visually recognized as three strip-shaped light sources continuous in the vertical direction when viewed from the lateral direction, and is also viewed as three strip-shaped light sources when viewed from the obliquely downward direction .
[0026]
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the light source structure of the signal indicator lamp showing the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the signal indicator lamp, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the diffusion filter 5. The signal indicator lamp of this embodiment has a configuration employing a cylindrical light source structure and a cylindrical diffusion filter.
[0027]
In FIG. 3, 1 is an LED, 2 is a reflecting member, and 5 is a diffusion filter. A plurality of LEDs 1 are arranged upright in a circumferential shape, a plurality of reflecting surfaces are laminated stepwise within an upper effective viewing angle, and a large number of longitudinal lens-shaped diffusion ribs 51 are connected to the inner circumferential surface. These diffusion filters 5 cover the outer periphery to form a light source structure of a signal indicator lamp, and the signal light is emitted to the entire periphery.
[0028]
The reflecting member 2 of this light source structure includes a plurality of oblique reflecting surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a that reflect the signal light 11a, 12a, and 13a in the obliquely downward direction around the signal indicator lamp, and the signal lights 11b, 12b, and 13b. A plurality of side reflection surfaces 21b, 22b, and 23b that reflect the LED in the lateral direction around the signal indicator lamp, and a hollow substantially funnel shape in which the LED holding portion 25 is integrally formed. These reflecting surfaces reflect the first reflecting surfaces 21a and 21b that reflect the signal lights 11a and 11b, the second reflecting surfaces 22a and 22b that reflect the signal lights 12a and 12b, and the first reflecting surfaces that reflect the signal lights 13a and 13b. Three reflecting surfaces 23a and 23b, each of which has a conical curved surface. The reflection surface angles of the oblique reflection surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a are determined so as to reflect the signal light in the obliquely downward direction on the outer periphery of the signal indicator lamp, and the reflection surface angles of the side reflection surfaces 21b, 22b, and 23b are It is determined to reflect the signal light in the substantially horizontal direction of the outer periphery of the indicator lamp. The plurality of reflecting surfaces are disposed within the effective radiation angle of the LED 1.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 4, the overall configuration of the signal indicator lamp of the second embodiment is displayed by stacking three stages of diffusion filters 5 containing the light source structure on the main body case 62 and attaching a head cover to the upper end. The pole 63 and the mounting base 64 are assembled to the lower part of the main body case 62 to form a mounting part. Thus, it is possible to make a laminated signal display lamp by laminating the light source structure of the signal display lamp of the present invention. Similarly, the first embodiment can also be a stacked type.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 5, the diffusion filter 5 assembled to the signal indicator lamp has diffusion ribs 51 provided on the inner peripheral surface. The signal lights 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, and 13b are reflected in the circumferential direction by the respective reflecting surfaces and are diffused by the diffusion ribs 51, so that the signal light 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b The LED light source is in a visually recognizable state of a large light source like an incandescent light bulb, and the visibility is greatly improved.
[0031]
Further, in the above configuration, a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a polygonal shape such as a quadrangle, a plurality of reflecting surfaces are formed in a step shape, and signal light is projected through a diffusion filter that covers the periphery. The following effects can be obtained. In this case, the diffusion filter and the case may be cylindrical, but if the polygonal shape is the same as the LED array, the signal light diffusion state is more suitable. The same applies to the combination of the substantially conical reflecting member shown in FIG. 3 and a polygonal diffusion filter.
[0032]
Next, a light distribution diagram of signal light is shown in FIG. Each of them falls within the scope of the present invention. First, FIG. 6 (1) shows the configuration introduced in the first embodiment. According to this configuration, the plurality of corresponding reflecting surfaces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23a, and 23b can be arranged in a substantially vertical direction by standing the LED 1 diagonally, and the width of the entire light source structure is narrowed. The configuration contributes to the thinning of products. Further, since the vertical width of each reflecting surface can be increased, the viewing angle in the vertical direction of the signal light is also increased.
[0033]
The configuration of FIG. 6 (2) is the configuration introduced in the second embodiment. In this configuration, the LEDs 1 are erected vertically, and the reflecting surfaces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23a, and 23b are sequentially arranged in a staircase pattern. The vertical direction of the product can be reduced by narrowing the vertical distance between the reflecting surfaces, and the LED is made upright, which makes it easy to manufacture.
[0034]
Further, in the configuration of FIG. 6 (3), the LEDs 1 are vertically erected, and the reflecting surfaces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23a, and 23b are arranged substantially in parallel in a step shape. The LED light passes through the back side of the anti-slopes 21a and 21b and reaches the reflecting surfaces 22a and 22b, and passes through the back side of the reflecting surfaces 22a and 22b and reaches the reflecting surfaces 23a and 23b, in a predetermined light projecting direction. And reflected. This configuration is also effective as a means for increasing the vertical reflecting surface width of each stage.
[0035]
Three examples have been shown as typical examples of the light distribution as described above. However, the light distribution may be changed according to various usages in the application of the light distribution such as changing the arrangement angle of the LED and the reflection surface.
[0036]
FIG. 7 is a radiation characteristic diagram of LED light. The illustrated LEDs are all referred to as wide emission angle LEDs. In many cases, the emission angle of an LED refers to a range having a brightness that is half the maximum brightness. It is said that there is a radiation angle of about 10 to 30 degrees with a normal LED and about 20 to 40 degrees with a wide radiation angle LED. However, in recent years, with the increase in the brightness of LEDs, it has become possible to use it for signal display even if it exceeds the range of half the maximum brightness, which was called the LED radiation angle. Various effective LEDs can be used by setting the effective radiation angle of the signal indicator lamp to be 10 to 20 degrees wider than the LED radiation angle. In the radiation characteristic diagram, the horizontal axis indicates the angle from the front of the LED, and the vertical axis indicates the ratio of the luminance compared to the maximum luminance. Incidentally, the vertical axis position of 0.4 represents an angle at which 40% of the maximum luminance can be obtained.
[0037]
In the illustrated LED of FIG. 7A, the half angle of the maximum luminance, which is the LED emission angle, is around 15 degrees. Since the brightness of half of the maximum brightness is obtained with a width of 15 degrees to the left and right from the front of the LED, the LED viewing angle is 30 degrees. The effective radiation angle that can be adopted for the signal indicator lamp is in the range of about 40 to 50 degrees. The width of this range is a variation due to the maximum luminance, light color, etc. of the LED employed.
[0038]
The LED illustrated in FIG. 7 (2) exhibits the highest luminance in a range swung to the left and right by an angle of 10 degrees from the front of the LED. The LED viewing angle is about 50 degrees, and the effective radiation angle that can be adopted for the signal indicator lamp is sufficiently up to 60 degrees. Since the LED having such a radiation characteristic has a wide high-luminance radiation range, it is suitable for providing the light source structure of the present invention in combination with a large number of reflecting surfaces.
[0039]
Other LEDs having various radiation characteristics can be effectively used in the light source structure of the present invention in consideration of conditions such as the correlation position with the reflecting surface, the angle, and the size of the reflecting surface.
[0040]
The description of the embodiment of the present invention is as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above description. For example, even if a plurality of reflecting surfaces are integrally formed, they are provided separately and integrally by the connecting means. It may be configured and connected to the LED holding unit, and it is only necessary to determine the relative position between the reflecting surface and the LED. In addition, although an example in which the oblique reflection surface and the side reflection surface are in contact with each other is shown, they may be separated from each other. The diffusion filter may adopt a commonly used rib shape, such as a horizontal or vertical / horizontal diffusion rib, or a diffusion rib on the outside, and may have a configuration other than the embodiment, such as a film lens. However, the same effect can be obtained. Furthermore, the example in which the reflective surface is placed on the upper part of the light source has been shown, but the reflective surface is placed on the lower part of the light source so that it emits light obliquely upward when a signal indicator is installed lower than the human eye. It is also possible to configure.
In addition, various design changes and application to the same type of product are possible without changing the gist of the present invention.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
Since this invention was comprised as mentioned above, favorable visual recognition can be acquired also when a signal indicator lamp is attached higher or lower than a human eye. Further, since the number of LEDs to be used is significantly reduced compared to the conventional LED signal indicator lamps, it contributes to the price reduction of the signal indicator lamps.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a signal indicator lamp showing a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing a configuration of the signal indicator lamp.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a signal indicator lamp showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of the signal indicator lamp.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a diffusion filter of the signal indicator lamp.
FIG. 6 is a light distribution diagram showing an embodiment of signal light distribution according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a radiation characteristic diagram showing a radiation characteristic of an LED.
FIG. 8 is an external perspective view showing a conventional signal indicator lamp.
FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing a conventional signal indicator different from the above.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional signal indicator lamp different from the above.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 LED
11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b Signal light 15 Effective radiation angle 2 Reflecting members 21a, 22a, 23a Oblique reflecting surfaces 21b, 22b, 23b Side reflecting surfaces 25 LED holding unit 5 Diffusion filter

Claims (4)

An LED and a reflecting member are provided, and the reflecting member is provided with a plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged to be separated from each other to reflect the LED light in a predetermined light projecting direction, covering the predetermined light projecting direction, and the light in the lateral direction. A light source structure of a signal indicator lamp configured to project signal light through a diffusing diffusion filter,
The reflecting surface is composed of a side reflecting surface and an oblique reflecting surface formed by bending the reflecting surface at a predetermined angle , and is disposed within the effective emission angle of the LED. A light source structure for a signal indicator lamp, which is emitted in the horizontal direction as the same number of strip light sources as the reflecting surfaces . 2. The light source structure for a signal indicator lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the LEDs are arranged in a straight line, and a plurality of reflecting surfaces are formed in a step shape. Plurality arranging the LED circumferentially, and characterized in that by forming a plurality of reflecting surfaces in stepped and circular, and configured for projecting a signal light of these surroundings through covered the diffusion filter The light source structure of the signal indicator lamp according to claim 1. Plurality arranging the LED polygonal, to form a plurality of reflecting surfaces in a stepwise manner and polygonal, characterized by being configured for projecting a signal light through covered the diffusion filter these ambient claims Item 2. A light source structure of a signal indicator lamp according to item 1.

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